Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 04:05:38 -0400
From: Thack
Subject: What I Feel For You 125-129
WARNING: This story is sexually-explicit, involving homosexuality. Do not
continue if this will offend you. If accessing this story causes you to
break local laws (village, town, city, county, province, state, or country,
etc.), please leave now.
By continuing, you implicitly declare and affirm under penalties of perjury
that you are not a minor or in the company of a minor and are entitled to
have access to sexually-explicit material.
The content and opinions expressed in this story do not imply anything with
regards to the sexual preference of any member of 98 Degrees or any other
celebrities named herein. It is a work of fiction entirely.
OKAY! I'm back in action. It's been forever but life gets in the way of
writing. Hopefully there are still some loyalists who want to know what's
going to happen to Drew & Alex. Just to refresh your memeory, Alex was on
his way to meet Drew in Hawaii. Look out, though, because things could get
ugly. (And I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger.) LOL.
Jase: You've become family. Thank you for taking care of me. Let me do the
same, little brother.
Take care and be good,
Thack
Scene 125
I stretched and yawned, accidentally kicking Drew in the leg
as I did it. There was a time when he and I spent nearly
every night in bed together, but those days had passed. I
had gotten used to sleeping alone again and had honestly
forgotten he was there.
"Ouch," he said groggily.
"Sorry, honey."
I glanced over at the clock and saw it was just after 8am.
It seemed late and then my mind flashed back to the present.
Given the time change from the West Coast, it was actually
pretty late to be asleep. I reached out and grabbed my cell
phone, as I had grown accustomed to having with me at all
times. I had inadvertently left it on vibrate mood and
noticed that Jeff had called about an hour earlier but
didn't leave a message. I was surprised, since I hadn't
talked to Jeff since the video shoot. Sighing, I turned the
ringer on and put down the phone. Turning, I looked at
Drew, lying there with only the soft cotton sheet covering
him.
The night before, we had begun kissing out on the balcony.
Neither of us spoke because we both knew what was going to
happen. Drew grabbed my hand and led me back into the
living room. I could still feel the breeze from the open
sliding glass door as he began to strip off my clothes. As
each article came off, he would gently kiss me. He took his
time and I could feel my cock start to rise. By the time I
was starting there in only my boxers I was fully aroused.
Then it was my turn, but I had other ideas. I walked over
to the stereo and flipped it on. Soft Hawaiian music filled
the room. Knowing he'd follow, I walked into the master
bedroom and lay down naked on the bed. Soon, Drew was
hungrily giving me a blowjob and I was moaning softly.
Before I got too close to stop him, I gently pushed him off
of me. He was still fully clothed, but I could see his hard
dick through the linen pants.
"Take off your clothes," I commanded, feeling a bit silly
saying it.
He complied and soon I was admiring his naked body. It had
been such a long time since I had really looked at him. He
had such a stunning physique. His muscles were so full and
looked perfect on him. His abs looked almost fake they were
so chiseled.
"Make love to me, Drew."
That was the only invitation he needed. He stepped into the
other room and I heard him open his luggage. Returning with
a small bottle of lube, he joined me on the bed. Moments
later he was inside me and it was a feeling I had missed so
much. By that point, we were both pretty primed so it
didn't take long for either of us to cum. Afterwards, we
laid there, his arms around me.
"Are we going to make this work?" he asked out of the blue.
"I hope so," I responded.
That had been our night. No other words had been said. We
had showered and were soon asleep, his legs rubbing against
mine.
"Are you getting up?"
"I guess so," I yawned, looking over into his sleepy eyes.
"Wake me up in a little bit."
"Okay."
I walked into the living room, closing the bedroom door. I
found yesterday's boxers on the floor and put them on.
Generally I'd have put on clean ones but I hadn't unpacked
yet and figured that I would be showering in a couple of
minutes anyway. I noticed the sheer curtains blowing in the
gentle breeze since we had left the door to the balcony
open. Not the most environmentally smart thing to do since
the air conditioning was blowing full blast but sex had been
on our minds.
I was about to close the door when I realized I hadn't even
looked outside yet. I stepped out onto the balcony and the
view took my breath away. Out in front of me was the vast
Pacific Ocean. Off to the left of the hotel was a dark
black field of lava. Looking back from the ocean, I could
see exactly where the lava had flowed down from one of the
two volcanoes that formed the island. It was awe inspiring
to see. I made a mental note to take some pictures for
Zane. I turned back and looked over the grounds of the
hotel. Between the main building and the beach was a
crystal blue swimming pool. Up the coast in the distance I
could see more hotels built among the lava fields.
I stood there for what I guess to be about 15 minutes. It
was such an amazing view. Then I yawned once again and
wandered back inside. Seeing Drew's cell phone sitting out,
I had remembered the call from Jeff. Rather than go back
into the bedroom and disturb Drew, I grabbed the phone and
dialed the number.
"What the fuck do you want?" was the answer.
"Huh?" I said.
"Shit!"
"Jeff?"
"Sorry," he said. "I thought you were..."
"You thought I was Drew? What the hell's going on, Jeff?
Is it really that bad between you two?"
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Well, I'd guess that you saw Drew's number in your caller
ID and decided to answer the phone like you did. And that
means things aren't exactly how they should be. Justin had
said that you and Drew weren't getting along but I didn't
think it was this bad."
"Well, it is. And if you had been around you'd have seen
it."
I stood there stunned. I wasn't really sure how to take
Jeff's remark.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing," he quickly said.
I felt as though Jeff was reprimanding me for not being in
Honolulu with the guys. Then it stuck me that maybe it was
the fact that Jeff needed me and I wasn't there.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But if you needed me why didn't you
say something?"
"Who said I needed you?" he threw back, defensive and
hostile in the same breath.
"Hmmm."
"I never said I needed you, Alex."
"Okay," I said defensively. "I'm sorry."
"Forget it."
"So, why are you mad at Drew?"
"The usual," he said.
"And that is what?"
"You know."
"I do?" I asked, honestly unsure.
"Lea," he nearly yelled. "All week all he did was talk to
her on the phone, Alex. How often did he talk to you?
Every time I said something about it we would get into an
argument."
"They're friends, Jeff. That's all. Drew and I have talked
about it."
"Really? Just friends. I don't think you know the whole
story, Alex. There's more to that friendship than either of
them has been letting on."
"Listen, Jeff," I interrupted. "If this about your feelings
for me then we need to talk about that."
"No! My feelings for you don't matter. You've made it
perfectly clear about that, Alex."
"Don't say that. They do matter, Jeff. I'm just confused
about what you feel."
"Friendship, Alex. Nothing more."
There was dead silence. I turned and walked out on the
balcony and looked out at the ocean. In the distance I
could hear the waves gently hitting the sand.
"But it's more than friendship," I said finally. "We both
know that, even if neither of us want to admit it."
"Exactly."
"What?"
"That's my point," he said. "It's friendship but it's more,
even if we both know it can't be. I'm straight, Alex. I
know that for a fact but I have some sort of feelings for
you. It makes things difficult and I'm praying that we can
figure out how to deal with it. But before you say anything
else consider the type of friendship that Drew and Lea have.
They have the same sort of connection that we do. But, they
have been together, Alex. They were engaged. They were in
love. Can you honestly tell me that Drew is really over
her? I don't think he is and until that relationship is
really over I don't think you should see him. I don't want
you to get hurt."
I stopped and let Jeff's logic sink in. It was true; Drew
and Lea did have an undeniable connection. Maybe Jeff had a
point.
"I'm not going to get hurt," I said, trying to reassure
myself just as much as Jeff.
There really wasn't much else to say at that point. Neither
of us was up for an argument, especially one where we were
thousands of miles apart. We said our goodbyes and I hung
up. I turned to go inside and saw Drew standing there,
staring at me.
"Let me guess who that was," he said without emotion.
Scene 126
"Jeff," I said, trying to replay the conversation in my
head, wondering what part of it Drew had heard.
"I figured."
"How much of that did you hear?" I asked.
"Just the goodbye. I wasn't eavesdropping."
"Sorry, honey. Didn't mean that."
"Is there something you didn't want me to hear?" he laughed,
cocking one eyebrow.
"No. Just me arguing with Jeff about you," I lied. Truth
be told, I was glad that Drew didn't hear me discussing
Jeff's feelings towards me. I still wasn't ready for Drew
to know about that.
"Well, he has told me in no uncertain terms that I don't
deserve you and that I should let you go."
I sighed and lifted my arms up. Taking the cue, Drew walked
over to me and let me hug him. He fell against my body and
I did the best I could to wrap my arms around him. Although
Jeff had just put new doubts into my head, I wasn't ready to
give up on my love for Drew.
We showered and got dressed in our bathing suits and t-
shirts, deciding to spend the day down at the beach. I
hadn't really noticed the night before because of the light,
but Drew had a pretty good tan going from his week in
Honolulu. I figured I had some catching up to do. Before
hitting the beach, we decided food was in order. Zane had
told me that the suite was on the concierge floor so we
wandered down the hall to find the lounge. Stepping inside
we found a nicely appointed room with comfortable chairs and
a spread of breakfast foods. It wasn't overly fancy, just
very comfortable.
"Aloha kakahiaka!" said the woman inside. "That's good
morning in Hawaiian."
She was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late
40's or early 50's. Her skin was bronzed from the sun and
she had a youthful glow about her.
"I'm Alex and this is Drew."
"So nice to meet you," she said with a gracious smile. "My
name is Yogi. Would you like some juice? Pineapple, mango,
or orange?"
After telling her that we'd opt for trying out the mango,
she disappeared into a small kitchen. Drew helped himself
to the sliced fruit and pastries sitting out. Only then did
he look out the window.
"Wow!" he exclaimed.
The lounge was facing a different direction from our suite.
Out the windows was the vast lava field. It stretched on
for miles and descended up into the foothills of the
mountain. Here and there were pockets of green where the
lava had missed for some unknown reason.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Yogi said, somewhat startling
each of us.
"It is," I said.
"This is my island," she said with pride. "I grew up here.
Have you been to any of the other islands?"
"I was just in Honolulu for the Pro-Bowl," Drew said. "But
this is the first time Alex has been to Hawaii."
"Oh, my. I'm so sorry. I should have recognized you. You
are Mr. Lachey. I am so embarrassed. My manager said you
were visiting with us. Let me know if there is anything we
can do to make your stay more enjoyable."
"Don't be embarrassed, Yogi," he said with a sweet smile
that instantly put her at ease. "I kind of enjoy just being
a normal guy again. Please just treat me like anyone else.
It's nice to be Drew for a change."
"Does it get hard? The celebrity part?" she asked with
genuine curiosity.
"Sometimes," he said, looking right at me. I think that
look may have clued her into our relationship but I could
have been wrong.
"Like I said, this is my home. I grew up here. My father
was Hawaiian and my mother was Portuguese. I've been to the
other islands, of course, but never to the mainland. The
Big Isle is special. Things are at a much slower pace here,
compared to Honolulu. The landscape is different, too.
Some people find it a bit cold, but I see strength in the
lava fields. You'd be amazed at what can survive out there.
Did you see any donkeys?"
"Excuse me?" I asked, turning away from the view to look at
her.
She laughed. "Driving in from the airport did you see any
wild donkeys?"
"You have wild donkeys here?" Drew laughed.
"We do," she smiled. "The paniolos, or cowboys as you call
them, brought the donkeys here to help with the ranches and
some escaped and live wild among the lava fields. Just be
careful when you drive because they can pop out of nowhere."
"Yogi?" I asked. "It was so dark last night when we were
driving in. What were the white pockets in the lava? Is
that sand or something?"
"No, it's actually Hawaiian graffiti. People go down to the
beach and collect white coral by the beach. Then they take
them to the lava fields and spell out words. You'll see if
far better when you're driving during the day. Technically,
it's illegal to take the coral from the beach areas but it's
not really something you'll end up in jail for."
We talked to her for about 30 minutes as we ate a light
breakfast. She was so friendly, but at the same time she
seemed to be very careful with her statements, as if she
didn't want to overstep her bounds. Drew noticed it more
than I did.
"You know, Yogi," he said finally, "you can ask me about the
band, if you want. It's okay."
She laughed a cute, embarrassed smile. She said that she
was, indeed, curious about the group. That resulted in
another 30 minutes of questions for Drew. She asked very
intelligent questions, not the, "Do you know so and so,"
that we usually get.
"We used to get many more celebrities," she confessed as we
were leaving. "But there are bigger, more formal hotels up
the coast now so it's not as often."
"Well," I said, "I think it's a beautiful resort. I feel
right at home."
"Mahalo," she beamed.
"Come again."
"That's thank you in Hawaiian," Drew told me with a smug
laugh, as if he'd lived there his entire life.
We bid Yogi goodbye and headed downstairs. The original
plan was to go out to the beach but we opted for the pool
instead. After setting up our lounge chairs, Drew ordered
two virgin fruit concoctions. Since I had been up earlier,
I made him be in charge of making sure neither of us fell
asleep in the hot sun.
At about 4pm I felt sufficiently baked. A good many of
those hours I had spent under an umbrella. Drew had been
spotted twice and politely gave out a couple of autographs.
During one of the incidents I saw a man who we later found
out was the Recreation Manager approaching to make sure we
weren't being disturbed. I waved him off since the other
guests were being very polite. I also knew that as much as
Drew denied it, he loved the attention. For a second, I
wondered if that need for attention would ever end up
hurting our relationship.
We had grabbed some sandwiches during lunch but we both were
pretty hungry and ready for a big dinner. Deciding to go
into Kona to go to a restaurant Yogi had suggested, we
headed back upstairs to get cleaned up.
"I love you," he said, kissing me briefly just as the
elevator doors closed. "I've been wanting to tell you that
all day."
I blushed, unable to respond since the doors had already
opened on the second floor to let more guests in. Once back
in the room, Drew wrapped his arms around me and tried to
kiss me again.
"You smell," I said as delicately at possible.
"Well, you're not fresh as a morning breeze yourself."
"I promise," I said, knowing what was on his mind, "when we
get back from dinner tonight you can ravage me."
"Good to know," he said, laughing. "I'll pencil you in."
"I'd even go so far as to say to use ink."
"Really?" he said with a cocked eyebrow. He slapped my butt
and disappeared into the bathroom.
It took us longer to get ready that we should have, although
we both wanted to look our best.
"Oh, no!" Drew exclaimed when he saw what I was wearing.
"What?" I said, looking into the mirror at the slacks and
polo shirt I had on.
"You're in Hawaii, you have to wear one of these."
Drew handed me a silk Hawaiian shirt. Sighing and laughing
at the same time, I put the shirt on.
"I picked it out just for you."
"Aw," I said as I walked over and kissed him.
Finally ready, we headed down the hallway toward the
elevators.
"Wait a minute," I said. "I forgot my cell phone."
"It's okay, baby. I have mine. Everyone knows we're
together. If anyone really needs to talk to you tonight,
they can call me."
"True," I acquiesced. I wasn't sure it was indeed true,
since I knew Jeff wouldn't call Drew even if he did need me.
But I figured one night out of communications with my world
wouldn't kill me.
We headed off to Kona just as the sun was starting to set.
For the first time in months, it felt right to be with Drew.
It almost felt like our first date. Maybe there really was
a chance at true happiness.
Scene 127
"Be on the lookout for the donkeys," Drew said to me, very
serious.
I simply laughed and patted his leg. On the way into town,
we got to see exactly what Yogi was talking about. Amongst
the dark, black lava were hundreds of displays of white
coral. There were symbols, names, and messages. I quickly
pointed out the one that said, "N*Sync rules!" to Drew as we
flew by at near 70 miles per hour.
"That is not funny," he responded.
"What's the official position?" I asked more to irritate him
than anything. "98 Degrees is happy about the success of
N*Sync, the Backstreet Boys, and whatever the latest boy
band du jour from Lou Pearlman is this week."
"O-Town?" Drew piped in.
"Are they still with him?"
"I don't know. None of them are very cute so I never really
followed what happened with them," Drew laughed.
"Nice, Lachey. You're becoming a true homo."
"Yes, you're teaching me well."
I simply sighed and continued driving us toward the small
town of Kona. Aside from having the airport and being one
of the two largest towns on the island, it was seemed very
small. We were headed to the tourist area of town, where a
collection of restaurants, shops, bars, and an occasional
nightspot were centered along Alii drive. The street ran
along the coast, with the restaurants crammed between the
ocean and the passing cars. Each offered prime viewing of
the water and the setting sun.
Yogi had given us the rundown on all the restaurants in the
area. Of all of them, she recommended Roy's, which was
located in a small shopping area across the street from our
hotel. Drew had eaten at the Roy's location in Honolulu and
raved to me about it. We had planned on dining there
another night. In Kona, Yogi mentioned a couple of chain
restaurants there were decent, including the Hard Rock Caf‚
and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, which was inspired by the
movie "Forest Gump". Ultimately, however, we had decided on
Jameson's by the Sea. Yogi warned us that the food was good
but nothing spectacular. We would be paying for the live
music and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean.
We were greeted at the host stand by a young gentleman,
probably nor more than 22 years old. Before either of us
could speak, he asked us to follow him. We ended up walking
through the tastefully appointed dining room outside onto
the terrace. We were presented a table that was literally a
stone's throw from the waves crashing against the seawall
before.
"Mr. Lachey," he said as he handed Drew his menu. Handing
me mine, he followed with, "For you Mr. Jackson. It's our
privilege to have you here at Jameson's. Your server will
be out shortly. In the meantime, can I offer either of you
gentlemen a drink? We have excellent virgin drinks, Mr.
Jackson. Or, of course I can bring a soft drink? And, Mr.
Lachey, would you like something from the bar or will you be
joining Mr. Jackson and sticking to the lighter side of the
beverage world?"
I think both Drew and myself were a bit surprised. After a
moment to collect my thoughts, I ordered a Coke and Drew did
the same.
"That was kinda creepy," Drew said. "How did they know all
of that? I mean, your alcoholism was in the tabloids but
who would now that out here?"
"It was Yogi," I said with a smile. "You know I put on
every rooming list we send in the request to remove alcohol
from both our rooms. Yogi must have known that and put two
and two together. Or, maybe she just knew I was in
recovery. She made the reservation here, after all. I bet
she explained everything."
"I think you're right. We're going to have to give her a
big tip. She's awesome."
"She is," I agreed.
During dinner we talked about the upcoming tour and what had
happened while I was in LA. I told Drew about the night
Zane and I went out to dinner in West Hollywood and had a
gay couple send a bottle of wine over to our table. We
accepted as graciously as possible but stayed clear of them.
I wasn't drinking the wine, of course, but Zane drank
heartily and began wondering out loud if the couple was
cruising us. Honestly, it hadn't crossed my mind but I
think he was probably right. This couple probably was
looking for a little recreational activity for the evening.
I had never seen Zane without his shirt off but in my mind
he was spectacular. For a split-second that night I let it
cross my mind that there were other guys out there in the
world. Of course, as I told Drew the story I conveniently
left that part out.
"Did Zane go talk to them?" Drew asked.
"Nope."
"He should have," he replied. "He's a hot guy and I have
the feeling it's been a long time since he's been with
anyone. I don't know that for sure, but he's just so scared
that he'll be outed. I'm a little surprised he went out
with you like that."
"What does that mean?" I asked, feeling the jealous for some
weird reason.
"Oh, just that he usually is careful about appearances.
That's his job: to look out for all of us."
"It's not like we were at a gay bar, Drew!"
"I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "And watch the volume
there, please."
"Sorry," I responded. "Is it ever going to get better?"
"If you're asking if I'm coming out anytime soon the answer
is no. In fact, several people in management want me to
make more appearances with Lea. Make it look like we're
still together. 'Entertainment Tonight' was at the video
shoot and they did a story on the two of us. Management saw
it and said it would really help the image of the band,
especially with Nick and Jess breaking up."
"I see."
I turned and looked out over the dark waters of the ocean.
The waves were constantly crashing against the rocks below
the deck. Most of the time, I seemed, I tended to forget
Drew was famous. It was, however, a part of the
relationship and I had known that from the beginning.
"Lea and I have been talking about it," he said quietly.
"Since it would be good for the group."
"I see," I repeated.
I suddenly felt ill. The chicken I had been eating, which
had been fairly good, began to turn against me. A few
seconds later I began coughing, feeling as though I was
going to be sick.
"Alex? Are you okay?"
I took a deep breath and looked right at Drew. The concern
in his eyes was evident but there was a shadow of guilt
lurking behind. Knowing that World War III was about to
erupt and knowing that it couldn't happen there in the
restaurant, I simply reached into my pocket and grabbed my
wallet. Without words, I placed a $100 bill on the table,
which more than covered the $60 tab.
"I will met you back at the hotel," I said with venom.
"Don't try to follow me."
Without looking back I walked out of the restaurant, leaving
Drew behind.
Scene 128
Not really sure where I was going, I left the restaurant and
turned away from the main tourist strip. I could feel my
blood beginning to boil. My stomach was upset and my head
was spinning. Moments earlier, Drew had begun to tell me
about a plan for him and Lea get back together. I wanted to
believe it was just for show but sometime inside doubted
that. The night before, Drew had offered to sever all
contact with Lea, and yet the next day he was telling me
about staged reconciliation.
"Alex!"
I turned and saw Drew running down the sidewalk towards me.
I stopped dead in my tracks and glared at him as he
approached.
"Stay away from me, Drew. You don't want me right now."
"But, Alex..."
"No! I will find a way back to the hotel on my own. Just
go!" I fumed. "Oh, and you can forget about fucking me
tonight."
"Where the hell did that come from?" he asked, totally
bewildered. "Do you think that's what's on my mind right
now?"
I glanced around and realized we were standing in front of
some shops that were closed for the day. There was no one
around so I let him have it.
"I think you're probably more interested in fucking her."
"What? Where is this coming from?"
"It seems like Jeff was right. You have been keeping things
from me. How long have you and Lea been conspiring on this
one?" I yelled. "If management is involved it must have
been for quite some time. And you clearly did a good job of
keeping it secret from Zane, too. He never would have stood
for this crock of shit."
"Alex! It's not like that. I love you. And, yes,
management has been very persuasive about getting me and Lea
back together. Our image took a hit when Jess broke up with
Nick. It's all about publicity, Alex. You know, even if
you don't want to admit it. It's about us getting on 'TRL'
and 'Entertainment Tonight'. It's about selling albums and
promoting the tour. The very tour you've been working on
for the last several months." He paused. "And before you
get any ideas into your head, I love you. I do not want to
be with Lea. I want you in my bed every night."
"How convenient," I replied.
Before either of us said another word, Drew's cell phone
rang. He simply stared at me, obviously intending to just
let it ring. I should have thought before moving, but my
mind wasn't working too well at that point. I walked the
two short steps towards him and reached into his pants
pocket and grabbed the ringing phone. I knew who it was,
but looked at the caller ID just to be 100% certain.
"How convenient," I repeated as I showed the phone with
Lea's name on it to Drew.
"Answer it!" I commanded.
"No!"
"Answer the fucking phone, Drew!"
"No!" he screamed at me.
Without warning I threw the phone with all my strength
straight into the sidewalk, shattering it to bits. The
ringer stopped and there was nothing but the sound of our
breathing and the surf off in the distance. I turned and
walked away from Drew.
"Alex!"
"Not now!" I screamed back at him, taking off in a full-
fledge run to get away from him, running across the street
and down a small alley.
After about 100 yards I stopped running, feeling winded. My
mind was racing. My boyfriend had just told me about a plan
to publicly announce that he would be getting back together
with his ex-fiance. In his words, it was about creating a
buzz to sell record albums and concert tickets. In my mind,
however, it was about him getting a back with his first
love. I kept walking and at one point I realized I was
crying. The tears had come and I didn't even realize it.
Also, I had no clue where I was. Looking around I saw small
houses on the beach side of the street and larger condos and
apartments across the street. I sat down in the darkness
and cried.
Scene 129
"Get in the Jeep."
I looked up and saw Drew parked in front of me. He was
leaning across the passengers seat to get a better view of
me. He had opened the passenger door, causing the interior
lights to come on. Even from a distance I could tell he had
been crying, too.
"Get in, Alex. I'm not going to leave you here."
"I'm fine," I lied. "Go. I'll be back later tonight."
"Later?" he responded. "Do you know what time it is? I've
been driving around for about four hours. I'm not going to
leave you here like this."
"Go!"
"No, I won't. We don't have to talk. I just won't leave
you in a town you've never been in on an island that
probably has about three taxicabs. If you don't want to
discuss anything, that's fine. I just can't leave you here.
Nick and Justin would have my head if I did. Not to mention
what Jeff would do to me. I will sleep in the other bedroom
in the suite tonight and I'll leave for LA tomorrow if
that's what you want."
I glanced at my watch and saw that it was nearly midnight.
Knowing Drew was right and that I shouldn't be in a strange
town alone in the mood I was in, I stood up and got into the
Jeep. He drove off into the night. We were waiting at one
of the few stoplights in town, about to turn left onto the
highway back to hotel when he spoke. He only said it once
and I didn't respond.
"I'm so sorry, Alex."
I concentrated on the sound of the wheels hitting the
highway and the wind blowing as we raced down the road at 70
miles per hour. Honestly, I felt as though I was in a state
of shock. I wondered how much Jeff knew. Actually, I
wondered how much Nick and Justin knew. Were they all in on
the plan to publicly reunite Drew and Lea to help the group?
As the miles ticked away, I began to cry once again.
Everything in my life seemed out of balance. I glanced up
through the open roof of the Jeep. The stars were blazing
but without the moon it was ominously dark.
It was as I was reaching to brush away a tear that I saw the
movement ahead of us on the road. Moments later I heard the
screech of the tires as Drew slammed on the breaks. He
turned the wheel and we began to skid. It all happened in
an instant. I felt a jolt and realized in horror that the
Jeep was no longer upright. The sound of crunching metal
and breaking glass was unbelievably loud. I flew forward
and felt a sharp pain before my world went completely black.
To be continued.
Author's Note: When I first started writing this story, it
had a different name and I never intended it to be so long.
It started out in Hawaii and ended right here, with the car
crash. This last installment was supposed to be the ending,
without the reader knowing what really happened. But, don't
worry. I owe the characters more and I intend to continue.
The funny thing about the internet is that I have no clue
how many people are reading my story. I know of a few and
that's why I do it. I take my style from the soap operas I
love to watch. Hence, the dreaded cliffhanger. Hehe. The
beauty of soap operas and serial fiction is that they don't
need to be perfect. There are parts of my story I'm on
thrilled with, but half the fun is writing and seeing where
the characters end up. It's like real life. There are
times I want to forget. There are times I wish I had made
other decisions. But, in the end you can't rewrite history
so why worry about it. See you in the next installment. -
Thack